Doppelgangers

…Friday night…

Darkness performs its duties earlier than usual on these cold and stormy nights. As I gaze furtively out of my bedroom window a delicate chill gradually creeps into my bones and an unconscious urge compels me to walk out onto the landing and glance down into the hall. I see dad open the front door, walk outside and shut it behind him. Most of the day had been exhausted persuading my parents to let me stay up late to watch a horror movie so I decide to find out whether he will be back anytime soon. Making my way down the stairs I can hear mum talking to somebody in the kitchen. Presuming she’s on the phone with one of her friends I turn the handle on the kitchen door and step inside; but she isn’t on the phone at all.

Her attention is diverted to the side of the room obscured from my vision. She stops for a brief moment, turns, and with a leering grin asks me if I’m prepared for the fright of my life. Before I can answer I hear a faint laugh coming from the other side of the door that instantly unnerves me.
Nervously I ease further inside, glance towards where the sound is coming from and nearly pass out as I see my dad sitting at the kitchen table with the most disturbing smile fixed from ear to ear.
He glances peculiarly in my direction, “You look like you’ve seen a ghost Declan, is everything alright?”
“I…I just watched you leave the house a minute ago dad…I saw you walk out the front door.”
He laughs again, only this time it’s a wicked and monstrous laugh that penetrates every fibre of my now fragile body. His eyes fix onto mine the whole time and with an almost abrupt and deadpan alteration to his scary features he calmly replies, “I knew it was a bad idea letting you stay up late to watch a horror film with myself and your mum, we haven’t even settled down yet and already you’re freaking out.”

All I can think about is how childish and silly I must look in front of my parents. What in the hell was I thinking. I’m 15 years old and acting like it’s my first day of kindergarten.
Mum walks over and places her hand against my forehead, then onto my cheek, “I think we’ll leave it for another night sweetie, you don’t look so good.”
Sheepishly and slightly embarrassed I explain that I just thought I had seen someone walk out the front door and was taken aback when I realised they were both still down here in the kitchen. I promised I would be fine and pleaded with them to let me stay up to watch the movie as planned. After much deliberation they finally agreed and we made our way into the living room, switched off the lights and turned on the movie.

Still unsure about what I had just witnessed a few moments earlier, I ask dad what the film is about before it starts. He glances over from the sofa he is sitting on with mum, smiles, picks up the cover, tosses it my way and says, “Read the back, I’m sure you’ll find it very interesting.”
I turn the case over and as I begin to read a shiver runs through me. The film is about people being abducted, murdered and replaced with identical clones. These clones are evil monsters called the Vardøgr who once put into place are to live out their lives masquerading as the people they murder. After I finish reading I put the case down and cautiously glance towards dad; he’s staring straight at me. His face looks distorted in the dark as the light from the TV illuminates his features. He smiles again, sits back in his chair and turns towards the TV.
The hairs on my arms and neck stand to attention as I struggle to make sense of the frightening thoughts taking refuge in my mind. Excusing myself, I walk out to the hall and make my way up the stairs, as I get to the top I have this horrible feeling that someone is behind me. Hesitantly, I turn to see dad, standing in the hallway staring up at me. He has that same smile on his face only this time it terrifies me. Everything about his presence feels unnatural.
“What’s wrong son?” he asks, “you’re going to miss the start of the film, you’re not afraid are you? You’re not afraid of the big bad monsters?”
I open my mouth to speak but nothing comes out.
He starts to walk towards me, still smiling, again he repeats,
“You’re not afraid are you son? You’re not afraid of ME! The big bad Vardøgr.”
His posture seems motionless as he eases up the stairs, the closer he gets the more his features seem to deviate from normal. My whole body starts to shake as he leans over my shoulder and whispers into my ear…”I’M GOING TO KILL YOU DECLAN COSGRAVE.”

“Declan…Declan…can you hear me…are you alright?”
I look up to see mum standing over me
“What happened mum? Where am I?”
“You’re in bed sweetie; your dad found you passed out at the top of the stairs.”
A vague recollection of the events leading up to my passing out flicker through my mind, but I’m reluctant to entertain them. “Where is dad?” I ask.
“He’s in the other room, he was so worried sweetie…we both were”
Just then he walks in and stands directly behind mum, “Ah, you’re awake I see”, he smiles, “you gave me and your mother an awful fright Declan”
He looks genuinely concerned, obviously I must have imagined the whole thing…yeah…of course I did…but it all seemed so real.
“Tell me what happened sweetie” mum says,
“I remember standing on the stairs…and…I saw dad…”
Before I get to finish, he interrupts me, “Okay okay, there’s no need to talk about this now young man.” He puts his arm onto mums shoulder “come on honey, let him get some rest, we’ll talk about this tomorrow.” Mum kisses me on the forehead and tells me to get some sleep; dad looks back as he ushers her out of the room and repeats the same words as he shuts the door behind them. I just lie there listening to the wind howl and the rain beat persistently against my bedroom window, thinking of how creepy the last couple of hours had been and how your mind can play the cruelest tricks.

The next morning I wake up feeling refreshed and make my way down to the kitchen. Mum and dad are sitting at the breakfast table.
“Hello sleepy head,” mum says to me “We decided to let you lie in this morning; no need to worry about school today, we’re all going to visit your grandmother in the retirement home.”
“But it’s Saturday mum”, I replied, “why would I be worried about school today?”
She smiles, “No silly it’s Friday, Why would you think it was Saturday?”
“I’m not sure” I said, “I thought yesterday was Friday; we were going to watch a horror movie last night…remember?”
“I think you must have been dreaming sweetie, you’re way too young to be looking at horror movies anyway, now sit down and I’ll make you some breakfast.”

I sit across the table from dad.
“That must have been some dream you had Declan, you don’t even remember what day it is.”
“Didn’t I pass out at the top of the stairs last night dad?”
“What…Of course you didn’t, it was just a dream; it’s all in your head.”
Mum rests my breakfast on the table and makes her way upstairs to get ready.
As soon as she leaves the mood suddenly changes. An unsettling atmosphere fills the room. I focus my attention to the dreary patterns etched into the table-cloth, almost afraid to look up. He’s staring at me, I know he is. I glance up to see his fear projecting gaze envelope the space between us.
“Dad…why are you looking at me like that? You’re scaring me?”
He smiles sadistically and replies in a low but vicious tone.
“Daddy is not here right now young man, it’s just you and the monsters.”

Pure terror shoots through my whole body as I jump up from the chair and run to the kitchen door. Just as I’m about to scream for mum I see the front door close. I rush to open it up but no one is there. There’s no one to be seen outside at all. A voice calls out from behind me.
“What’s wrong sweetie, who are you looking for?”
I turn to see mum walking down the stairs,
“Mum we need to get out of here quick; he’s going to kill Me.”
“Who’s going to kill you? What in God’s name are you talking about?”
“Its dad…he’s gone…I saw him leave the house yesterday, that man inside is a monster and he’s going to kill me.”
She runs down, grabs me by the arm and screams furiously from the top of her voice, “Stop this ridiculous carry on! What has gotten into you?”
I look towards the kitchen to see him standing there, just staring at me; his evil grin spread from ear to ear.
“Mum we have to get out of here, that man is not dad, he’s an impostor…he’s a Monster.”
“What are you talking about Declan? What the hell has gotten into you? Get up to your room and don’t move until I call you.”
“Mum you have to listen to me please; something is happening in this house, we have to get out of here right now.”
A wild unsettling expression crosses her face as she screams again from the top of her shrill voice,
“Get the hell up to you’re room right this minute Declan Cosgrave, GO!...NOW!

Angry and confused I hurry up to my room and slam the door shut.
“What the hell is going on in this house? Who was that person I saw walking out the front door a few minutes earlier? It must have been mum, but that means…the both of them are monsters”. I clasp both my hands together really tightly to stop myself from shaking. I have to keep it together; I need to find out what’s going on.

Opening my bedroom door and creeping quietly onto the landing, I lean over the banisters and glance down into the hall. What I witness shakes me to my very core. Right in front of me I see this hideous looking creature. It looks like a large repulsive insect with numerous oval-shaped pores protruding from its flaking torso; they start to burst and the slimy substance inside spreads itself evenly over its gangling body, morphing into human skin. Its head is shaking vigorously from side to side. Hair shoots out from the back of its head as the slime envelopes its face. The color of its hair is red, the same color as my own, the shape of its body fills out and the progression from insect to human form takes just a few moments. Slime from the pores on its back blends proficiently into its body. It shakes violently for a brief moment and then it stops. The creature that only moments ago looked like a hideous insect…now looks like me…my replacement…my doppelganger.

This is what I had read on the back cover of the movie last night. My parents have been replaced by monsters and I’m next. I have to get out of here before they come for me. Just as that thought enters my head I hear the kitchen door open. I hurry into my room and lock the door behind me. I hear footsteps coming up the stairs, slow methodical footsteps; they’re coming to get me. They’re getting louder as they get closer to the top. It goes quiet for a moment, the silence is deafening, my heart is pounding, I can hear nothing but can see shadows moving from underneath the bedroom door. The handle slowly turns.

My palms are sweating, my throat is completely dry and I’m terrified. I scream from the top of my voice “WHAT DO YOU WANT…. LEAVE ME ALONE” I start to cry, I can’t take it all in, again I scream “PLEASE JUST GO AWAY” collapsing onto the bed I put my head in my hands and just sob my eyes out, “please…just leave me alone, I want my mum and dad…PLEASE.”
Mums voice beckons me from the other side of the door.
“We can see you Declan, look up…look up”
I lift my head slowly from my knees, first glancing at the bottom of the door fixing my gaze up towards the top. I jump back onto the bed when I see the three of them staring at me through the clear pane glass on the top of the door. They’re smiling at me, that big horrible evil smile.
“Open the door sweetie, Unlock the door so we can KILL YOU!” The three of them start to laugh.

I run towards the window trying furiously to open it but I can’t, it has been nailed shut. I hear a tap on the glass pane behind me, I look up to see mum with the hammer I presume she used to block my escape.
“Are you looking for this honey?” in unison they laugh once more.
I’m stuck, I don’t know what to do, just then they start to bang on the door. They’re coming in, my heart is racing, I can’t think straight, they’re banging louder and louder, they’ll be inside any moment. I pick up my bedside lamp which is the nearest thing to me and use it to break the window. I remove as much glass as possible before trying to squeeze through the small opening. As I do, I hear one last bang on the door before it crashes open leaving the three of them standing there, smiling…always smiling. My mum, ‘or whoever the hell she is’ says she’s going to enjoy bashing my brains in as she makes her way towards me. Panicking, I push myself through the window just as she swings the hammer and come crashing to the ground head first onto the garden path below. Before I lose consciousness I manage to take one last look towards my bedroom window. The three of them are just standing there, staring down at me…still smiling.

I woke up in hospital a few days later with severe injuries, the doctors told me I was lucky to be alive. Over the next few days I learned that my parents had been spotted in different locations throughout the country but nobody had got close enough to make contact. I tried to explain what I had remembered to anyone who would listen but they all thought I was delusional. I was appointed psychiatric treatment over the next few months where I became friends with a patient named Thomas herdman. He told me a story about a young girl some years ago who claimed that her parents had been replaced by aliens and because she managed to escape they moved on and assumed the identity of another family in the next town or city. She also claimed that her parents had been identified in different parts of the country but they were mere apparitions used as a decoy and that nobody has ever managed to communicate with them. I knew right then and there that I would never see my parents again.

It took me a very long time to come to terms with the events that unfolded in that house on that frightening night. I was released into the care of my mother’s sister after four years of psychiatric treatment and suppressed the memories so well that I convinced myself it never happened. That was until tonight. As I was walking up the stairs on my way to bed, I got a very familiar feeling when I got to the top that someone was behind me. I turned around and looked down into the hall only to see my aunt’s boyfriend Damien, just standing there, staring up at me. He had a big smile on his face, a big horrible evil-looking smile spread from one ear to the next. He whispered to me in an eerily sinister and creepy voice,

“Sleep tight young man; don’t let the evil Vardøgr bite.”




The End.